By John Bennett Boddie
Pacific Coast Publishers, Redwood City, CA, 1957
Updated November 24, 2022
Overview:
Historical Southern Families is a twenty-three-volume series of authoritative genealogies covering a broad spectrum of Southern families. The series was compiled by the late John Bennett Boddie, whose distinguished contributions to Southern genealogy were attested to by his induction as a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, and completed by his wife.
Below, Boddie's article on the GILLIAMs has been reproduced. Since the article is part of a much larger, multivolume work, such embedded phrases as “(see later)” refer to articles found later in Boddie’s works.
Boddie’s work on the GILLIAMs has been compared to the Register of Albemarle Parish, Surry and Sussex Counties, 1739-1778, published by the National Society Colonial Dames of America, copyright 1958, discrepancies have been noted.
Boddie also confused several individuals with the same names (Johns and Hincheas). Corrections are noted.
GILLIAM
This name has been variously spelled GUILHAM, GILLHAM, GUILLIAM, etc. he first mention of the name appears in a patent granted Joseph Royall August 20, 1642, in Henrico County for the transportation of 12 persons, among whom were John and Thomas GUILHAM (Cavaliers and Pioneers, page 130). They are undoubtedly the John, aged 21, and Thomas Gillam, aged 18 years, who sailed from Gravesend, England, bound for Virginia on August 21, 1635, on the “George,” master, John Severne. (Hotten, page 124). They were probably brothers.
On October 1, 1687, the following deed was made by Henry Randolph, II, to Mrs. Margery GUILLIAM:
To all to whom these presents shall come Greetings:
Whereas, he, Henry Randolph, late of this county of Henrico, deceased, did, by virtue of the General Court bearing date ye 21 of September 1571, [sic, 1671] make out and patent a tract formerly deserted by Mr. John GILLIAM as by ye patent for ye same dated at James Citty ye May 17, 1673 may plainly appear; and the said Randolph did assign over ye said land unto Mrs. Margery GUYLLAM, relict of ye said John, her heirs and assigns forever on 16 July 1673, but before ye same was acknowledged in Court or ratified according did depart this life.
Now I, Henry Randolph, son and heir of ye before mentioned deceased Henry Randolph, out of filial duty and reverence I bear to ye memory of my said deceased father, do grant unto Margery Briggs, late relict of ye aforesaid John GUILLIAM and assignee of Mr. Henry Randolph and assign forever that piece, parcel and tract of land situated, lying or being in Bristol Parish in ye county of Charles Citty on ye southside of Appomattox River as in contained herein ye bounds in ye before mentioned patent granted ye said Henry Randolph.”
Mrs. Margery GILLIAM married, secondly, cr. [sic ca.] 1680, Henry Briggs (1635-1686) of Surry County. (See Southside Virginia Families, Volume, 1, page 104-108). Mrs. Margery GILLIAM-Briggs died in 1688, for on Oct 20, 1688, the following order was entered in Surry court: “Whereas Margery Briggs, late of this county, dying and leaving an estae and divers goods, John GILLIAM Hinchia GILLIAM, and Francis Maybury, by right of his wife Elizabeth, are granted administration rights.”
Children of John (1) and Margery GILLIAM:
I. Elizabeth (2) m. first ____ West; m. secondly William Bevin; and thirdly Francis Mayberry. She mentions sons John and Francis West in her will dated 1713. Francis West made his will in Isle of Wight, Oct. 8, 1715, and named cousin Francis West, son of John West and the rest of the children of John West. (Chapman, Wills and Administrations of Isle of Wight County, Virginia 1647-1800, page 85).
II. John GILLIAM, m. Sarah _____, who died Feb 23, 1769. John made his will in Surry, Aug. 9, 1738, probated Sept. 20, 1738. (B. 8, page 902). He owned 1000 acres in Prince George in 1704. Charles GILLIAM also held 200 acres there in 1704.
[Boddie has confused this John with John, the son of Hinchea and Fortune. See below, where Boddie nearly gives identical dates for John, son of Hinchea. John, the son of John and Margery married Ann. His will was probated 8 Jan 1739, Prince George County. As a result, the children Boddie lists here are incorrectly attributed to John, son of John and Margery, and should be attributed to John the son of Hinchea.]
Children mentioned in Will [Will of John, son of Hinchea, dated 9 Aug 1738]
1. John (3) received plantation on Roanoke in Carolina. He married Ann Mason.
Children, Albemarle Parish Register
a. Mary GILLIAM, 12/9/1743; Joseph Mason, Phoebe Mason, Mary GILLIAM
b. John GILLIAM, 2/29/1748; John Morre, Wm. Rachael, Eliz. Prichard.
[Godparents should read John Moore and William Acocke and Eliza Pritchet]
c. Elizabeth GILLIAM, 9/22/1755; Mason Bishop, Mary Glover, Rebecca Mason.
[Elizabeth was born 22 Oct 1755, not 22 Sep 1755. Elizabeth’s godmother was Rebecca Moss, not Rebecca Mason.]
d. Hinchae GILLIAM, 7/2/1753; John and David Mason, Mary Mason
[Hinchea was born 31 Jul 1753, not 2 Jul 1753.]
e. Howell GILLIAM, 12/14/1760; Holman Southall, Wm. Dansey, Jr., Mary GILLIAM.
[Boddie gives the above and below dates from the Albemarle Parish Register without the century digits for the years. For example, Boddie gives Mary’s birth as 12/9/43, for clarification sake dates have been rendered with century digits as for Mary 12/9/1743.]
2. Hinchea GILLIAM (3), given 150 acres next to mill in Surry. His will was probated April 20, 1737, names wife, extrx; sons: Hinchea, John, Samuel; daughters: Elizabeth and Ann GILLIAM and brother John (3). Hinchea married Mary _______.
[Boddie confuses Johns and Hincheas. John, does bequeath to son Hinchea land adjacent to a mill, but that Hinchea’s Will was probated in 1794. Hinchea, whose Will was probated in 1737 is, in fact, the brother of John who bequeaths the 150 acres. Hinchea who receives the 150 acres married Mary Johnson, daughter of Moses Johnson, Sr.]
Children of Hinchea and Mary GILLIAM (Albemarle Parish Register)
a. John GILLIAM, b. 1/22/1745
b. Lucy, b. 3/25/1748
c. Mary, b. 2/9/1752
d. Sarah, b. 3/9/1755
e. Lucy, b. 1/5/1757
f. Peggy, b. 3/23/1759
g. Edna, b. 1/29/1764
[Edna was born 29 Nov 1764, not 29 Jan 1764]
3. Burwell (3) GILLIAM, given 150 acres on southside of Great Branch. His wife was Anne ____.
[Anne, the wife of Burrell was Anne Johnson, per the will of Moses Johnson, Sr., her father.]
Children of Burwell and Anne GILLIAM (Albemarle Parish Register)
a. Patty, b. 11/25/1746
b. Franky, b. 10/22/1747
c. William, b. 10/11/1749
[William was born 1 Oct 1749, not 11 Oct 1749]
d. Anne, b. 3/3/1752
e. Rebecca, b. 1/3/1755
[Rebecca was born 23 Nov 1754, not 3 Jan 1755]
f. Moses, b. 11/17/1756
g. Miles, b. 2/21/1759
h. Wyatt, b. 4/6/1762
4. Levy (4) GILLIAM, given one negro. He m. Elizabeth.
Children of Levy and Elizabeth GILLIAM (Albemarle Parish Register)
a. Prissilla, b. 2/4/1749
b. Lucy, b. 10/13/1752
c. Anslem [sic] b. 4/7/1754
[Anselm was born 5 Feb, not 7 Apr]
d. Harris, b. 4/22/1756
e. Levi, b. 6/23/1758
f. Sally, b. 8/16/1761
[Sally was christened on 16 Aug 1761. The date of her birth was not recorded.]
5. Isam (3) GILLIAM, b. Feb. 25, 1733, given remainder of estate after death of wife to be divided with Hanselle (3)
He m. Pricilla
Children of Isam and Pricilla GILLIAM (Albemarle Parish Register)
a. Margery, b. 3/11/1763
[Margery was born 11 April, not 11 March]
b. Patty, b. 7/9/1768
[Patty was born 19 July 1768, not 9 July 1768]
c. Burwell, b. 1/20/1772
d. Prissilla, b. 9/1/1774
6. Hansille (3) GILLIAM; daughters Amy; Mary; Millie; Tabitha; Lidia, b. March 27, 1736.
[Hansille, is Anselm GILLIAM. It is likely he is named after Anselm Bailey.]
III. Hinchea (2) GILLIAM son of John (1) held 658 acres in Surry in 1704. He married Fortune Flood, daughter of Walter Flood and wife Anne Brown, daughter of Col. William Browne. (See p, 306, VHG). Captain Hinchea GILLIAM died in 1734, will being probated Nov 20, 1734. Children mentioned in will were: Hinchea, plantations where I now live; Walter, plantation where he now lives and 200 acres next to Rockon [Raccoon] Swamp; Thomas, 200 acres and land after wife’s death; Charles, plantation where he now lives and 200 acres next to Benjamin Harrison, daughters, Priscilla and Lydia GILLIAM.
[Hinchea’s wife has been traditionally been given as Fortune Flood, yet Fortune Flood in the Will of her grandfather, William Browne, is referred to as Fortune Flood and Fortune GILLIAM.]
Mrs. Fortune GILLIAM’s will was probated in Sussex in 1754. She mentioned only four sons in her will: Charles, (see later); Thomas; Walter and William.
Children of Hinchea and Fortune GILLIAM (Albemarle Parish Register)
1. John (3) GILLIAM, b. ca. 1696-1738, m. ca. 1717 Sarah ____, d. 1770
2. Hinshaw (3) GILLIAM, b. 1698-1737, m. ca. 1725 Faith Briggs.
Their children were (Albemarle Parish Register) See page 108, Southern Virginian Families, Volume 1.
a. Hinchea (4) b. July 30, 1729 (see later)
b. Anne, b. April 6, 1731
c. John, b. April 12, 1733
d. Samuel, b. July 9, 1736
e. Elizabeth, mentioned in her father’s will.
Hinchea (4) GILLIAM, son of Faith Briggs and Hinshaw (3) GILLIAM, married Amy ____. He made his will Dec 12, 1768, probated April 20, 1769. Amy GILLIAM made her will in 1772.
[Amy was Amy Briggs. Her mother Mary Cooke Briggs Bonner, mentions daughter Amy GILLIAM in her will.]
Children from (Albemarle Parish Register) who were under age at parents death:
i. John (5), b. Feb 16, 1755, died unmarried; mentioned his two brothers Hinchea and William in his will dated Sept 23, 1776, probated 1777.
ii. Lucy, b. Nov 12, 1765, died young
[Lucy was born in 1756, not 1765].
iii. Hinchea, b. April 17, 1759
iv. William, b. Jan 1, 1762
3. Walter (3) GILLIAM, b. cr [ca] 1700-1758; m. Sarah (Bolling?)
[Traditionally Walter’s wife is given as Sarah Bolling, but there were very few Bollings, in Sussex, etc. It seems likely Sarah was not a Bolling. Sarah may have been a Foster: Walter's Will is witnessed by Arthur Foster. Sarah and Walter named their firstborn Arthur (possibly after Arthur Foster). Also, this Arthur Foster had a sister named Sarah. The estate of Arthur GILLIAM, son of Walter and Sarah, was appraised by Moses Foster. Marcus GILLIAM, son of Walter and Sarah, is mentioned with John Foster in the guardian accounts of the orphans of Lewis Hill. Thomas GILLIAM, the brother of Walter, bordered that of Moses Foster.]
4. Thomas GILLIAM, b. ca. 1702-1790; m. first, Mary (Clements?); second, 1784, Selah Sorsby (1744-179_).
[Traditionally Thomas' wife has been given as Mary Clements. Mary was Mary Edmonds, the daughter of William Edmonds and Mary Gray. Mary's siblings served as the godparents for Thomas and Mary's children.]
5. William GILLIAM, b. ca. 1704-1764 (see later)
6. Charles GILLIAM, ca. 1706-1767 (see later)
7. Priscilla GILLIAM
8. Lydia GILLIAM
William GILLIAM, son of Captain Hinchea GILLIAM and wife, Fortune Flood, lived in the southern part of Surry County which in 1753 became Sussex County, VA. He married, 1725, Susanna Green, daughter of Lewis Green, Jr., of Prince George County, VA.
[The source for William GILLIAM marrying Susanna Green is not known. William GILLIAM, Lewis Green and the Throwers were involved together in several land deals. It appears that William had a child out of wedlock with Martha Thrower. In 1731 William reported to the Surry County grand jury that Martha Thrower had a bastard child. It also appears that William later married Martha for they jointly deed land to their grandson, John GILLIAM, son of William GILLIAM, Jr.]
Their children were:
I. Margery (4) GILLIAM, b. ca. 1726, m. 1742 Capt. Richard Hill (see Hill) 1720-1755.
II. Capt. William GILLIAM, 1728-1765, m. first, 1752 Mildred Hill, d. Feb 5, 1753, reported by William GILLIAM, Jr.; m., second ca. Mary ___. Mary, widow of William GILLIAM, d. Oct 20, 1771, reported by Richard Hill.
[The last name of Mildred is not known. William married secondly, Mary Lucas. Mary’s mother Mary Evans Lucas mentions daughter Mary GILLIAM in her Will.]
III. Amy GILLIAM, m. Lewis Tyus of Brunswick County, VA
IV. Frances GILLIAM, m. Thomas Evans of Dinwiddie County, VA
V. Jane GILLIAM, m. Robert Jackson of Sussex County, VA.
Charles (3) GILLIAM, son of Hinchea and Fortune Flood GILLIAM, married Mary, daughter of John and Amy Clanton.
[Boddie is incorrect. Charles’ wife was Mary Jones, not Mary Clanton. See Will of Prudence Baldwin Jones Webb, mother of Mary Jones.]
Their children were (Albemarle Parish Register):
I. Fortune (4) GILLIAM, 6/16/1742, d. same day, reported by Burwell GILLIAM.
[According to the Albemarle Parish Register, Fortune wife of Hinchea died 20 Oct 1753. Her death was reported by Burwell GILLIAM. This Fortune, daughter of Charles, married Drury Magee.]
II. Lydia (4) GILLIAM, 11/25/1744
III. John (4) GILLIAM, 4/14/1751
IV. Phoebe (4) GILLIAM, twin;
V. Jordan (4) GILLIAM, 9/2/1757
[Boddie is incorrect. John, Phoebe and Jordan and the not the children of Charles who married Mary Jones, but his grandchildren.]
A William GILLIAM, who may have been the William, Jr., (above), who had evidently moved away from Surry before 1771, and had a wife named Hannah, made his will in 1789 in Newberry, SC.
[Boddie is incorrect on this point: William GILLIAM who married Hannah and left a Will in 1789 in Newberry District, SC, was from Frederick County, VA where he and his wife jointly signed several deeds. William may have originally been from Pennsylvania, Delaware or New Jersey.]
He had a land grant of 500 acres, 2-15-1769 in South Carolina from his Excellency, the Right Honorable Lord Charles Greville Montagu, under the great seal of the Providence. In 1772 he deed 250 acres of this original grant on Bush and Saluda Rivers in Berkley Co., SC to Jonathan Taylor. GILLIAM styled himself as from the “Parish of Mark’s, Wheel Right” in the deed which is in Charlestown, SC. In his will he named children: Ann; Mary; Hannah; and John, not of age. He left his son William part of this same land.
William (2) GILLIAM; son of Hannah and William (1) GILLIAM, was born in Goochland County, VA, where his father may have lived, and died in Newberry, SC. William GILLIAM was said to have been a solider in the Revolution. His Will, dated 1816, is in the Probate Judge’s Office Newberry, SC.
[It appears, that Boddie is again incorrect. Though there was a William GILLIAM living in Goochland, who later settled in Newberry, who had the children Boddie lists below, this William does not appear to be William, the son of William and Hannah GILLIAM. The William of Goochland and later Newberry, seems to have had Hanover County, VA connections—note names of his children.]
Children:
I. James S. GILLIAM, born 1768
[The James born to William of Goochland was born, according to the Douglas Register, in Apr 1782]
II. Elizabeth R. S. GILLIAM, m. Clement Nance
III. John Taylor GILLIAM
IV. William GILLIAM
V. Jacob Faris GILLIAM, 1788-1836 m. Mary Coleman Sims.
VII. Robert Glen GILLIAM, m. Eusebia Blackburn
VIII. Drucilla Ann Goodman GILLIAM, m. J. P. Neel
IX. Nathan Sims GILLIAM
X. Sarah Thompson GILLIAM
Jacob Faris GILLIAM, son of William (2) GILLIAM and Ann Sims, was born June 27, 1788 in Newberry, SC, where he died August 6, 1836. In 1814 in Newberry he married Mary Massey, who was born there January 1, 1801 and died there September 19, 1843.
Children:
William C. GILLIAM, b. June 10, 1818, m. Elizabeth Turner
Drucilla Ann GILLIAM, b. Nov 4 1815, m. James B. Wilson
Pettus Wales GILLIAM, b Jan 16 1827, m. Harriet C. Wilson
Pettus Wales GILLIAM, son of Mary Massey and Dr. Jacob Faris GILLIAM, was born Jan 16 1827, at Newberry, SC and died Sept 3, 1884, at Hot Springs ,Ark. In 1846, at Newberry, SC, he married Harriet Caldwell Wilson, who was born there Feb 26, 1832, and died in Hot Springs, Ark. March 27, 1879. Pettus Wales GILLIAM was in the Confederate Army.
Children:
William Clement GILLIAM, b. Aug 2, 1847, m. Almania Bell.
Sarah Colin GILLIAM, b. 1866, m. John H. Clifton.
Mary Elizabeth GILLIAM, b., 1868, m. Thomas White
William Clement GILLIAM, son of Harriet Caldwell Wilson and Pettus Wales GILLIAM, was born Aug 2, 1847, at Newberry, SC and died Dec 17 1911 at Hot Springs, Ark. On Oct. 8, 1868, at Colonia, Ark. He married Almania Bell, who was born near Corinth, Miss., Dec. 30, 1845, and died Jan. 25, 1922, at Hot Springs, Arkansas. Mr. GILLIAM was a farmer, Tax Assessor, and Confederate Veteran.
Children:
Reuben Lynch GILLIAM, born Nov 30, 1873, m. Mami Bell (No relation). Mrs. [sic] and Mrs. GILLIAM reside at 239 Oak St., Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Lilas GILLIAM, b. 1875, d. 1898.
Sources
- Boddie, John Bennett. Historical Southern Families, Volume 1, Pacific Coast Publishers, Redwood City, CA, 1957